What people think
by
, 01-30-2012 at 08:02 PM (8230 Views)
Does it really matter what other people think of your work? I'd imagine all of us want our films to be liked, but it is highly unlikely that everyone watching will form the same, or even similar opinions. Even when a whole bunch of people express a very strong opinion, it's just as likely that there will be others expressing the opposite.
I was prompted to consider this after watching and then reading reviews of th BBC's adaptation of Sebastian Faulk's novel "Birdsong". Some criticism is fact. Most people, it seems, struggled to hear at least some of the dialogue - it seemed mumbled and balanced down in the mix. This is the sort of criticism which we should accept. Similarly virtually every critic I read, professional or otherwise, thought the whole thing was beautifully photographed.
But aside from that opinions seem to be as divided as those amout Marmite. Half the critics thought the telling of the tales by intercutting the later tale and the earlier tale was pure geius (the novel tells it in a linear fashion) whilst the othe half thought it made the thing very disjointed - not allowing either tale to develop. Half the critics thought the long silent looks between the protagonists were deep and meaningful and offered an insight into their emotions and the other half thought it was just killed any momentum that was building. Even stranger some critics I read talked of the great range of expresions on the lead character's face whereas others talked of him having the one single blank expression.
Just goes to show, you can't please all the people. So long as some people like your work and get from it what you intend them to get from it, you can listen to, but not worry too much about those who disparage.